Mail-bag closure.



J. SIMA.

MAIL BAG CLOSURE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. 1914.

1,175,999. Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

J. SIMA.

MAIL BAG CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. 1914.

JOHN SIIVIA, 0F SPRING VALLEY, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BAG CLOSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '21, 1916.

Application filed November 5, 1914. Serial No. 870,443.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN SIMA, a citizen of Besta, Austria-Hungary,residing at Spring Valley, in the county of Rockland and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- BagClosures; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in closures for containers andmore particularly to means for closing a mail bag and protecting itscontents. 4

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient devicefor securely locking without a key, a bag or other container forpreventing unauthorized persons from obtaining access thereto, it beingnecessary to know the combination before it can be opened.

Another object is to provide bufling means for the ends of a bag orother container to protect the contents and to insure the containeralighting on its protected end when dropped or thrown from place toplace.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation of amail bag equipped with this improved closure; Fig. 2 is an end elevationof the closure in operative position, the protective cap being removed;Fig. 3 is a similar View with the locking plate in partially openposition, whereby the parts are so disposed as to permit the closureproper to be opened; Fig. 4 is a similar view with the closure properreleased and ready to be opened; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing theclosure in open position; Fig. 6 is an enlarged verticalsectional viewtaken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a similar view taken on theline 77 of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a similar view taken on the line 88 of Fig.4; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the closure locking means with themembers thereof shown separated and injuxtaposition ready forassembling;

Fig. 10 is a similar view of the closure seprovement, being here shownprovided at its opposite ends with this improved closure or it may haveone end only provided therewith, as may be found desirable. This closurecomprises an open ring-like frame 1 which may be of any desiredconfiguration, being here shown elliptical with lugs 2 and 8 extendinginwardly from opposite points which reinforce the frame at these pointsand are designed for a purpose to be described. The end of the bag B issecured to the inner edge or face of the ring 1 (see Figs. 6 and 11) anda skirt 3 is secured to the outer face thereof and is connected with thebag B at a point spaced from said ring 1, forming a chamber C betweenthem.

A cover plate 5 is pivotally mounted on this frame 1 on one of the lugsthereof and the contour of said plate preferably conforms to the contourof the frame 1, although not necessarily so. The pivot is here shown inthe form of a bolt 6, the head of which is arranged on the inner face ofthe lug 2 in the chamber C between the bag and the skirt and said boltextends through said lug and through a longitudinally eX-' tending slot7 formed in one end of the cover 5 and its threaded end engages athreaded recess 8 in the lower face of a locking plate 18 to bedescribed and is embedded therein, being thus concealed.

The frame 1 and cover 5 are provided at said tongue extends flush withsaid cover edge. A recess 12 surrounds said tongue and is designed toreceive and house the staple 9 and the guard 10 at the back thereof, thetongue extending into the staple. The guard, when the parts are ininterlocked position, is arranged flush with the edge of the cover 5 asshown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, and completely covers the tongue and socketconnection of the frame and cover and renders their location practicallyinvisible to an ordinary observer.

cured to the frame 1, the interlocking mem bers 9 and 11 being engagedand disengaged by sliding the cover 5 longitudinally in oppositedirections, the slot 7 in said plate, permitting this movement.

The cover 5 has a portion of its outer face cut away from the slottedend thereof for about two-thirds of its length, more or less,being-reduced about one-half of the thickness of said cover. A shoulder14 is formed at the inner end of said reduced portion 13 where it joinsthe thicker front portion 13 and said shoulder extends obliquely acrossthe cover and is preferably undercut for about one-half of its lengthfor a purpose to be described.

In the outer or upper face of the reduced thinner portion 13 of thecover 5 adjacent the slot 7 thereof, isan angular seat or recess 15which communicates with a portion.

of said slot and is designed to receive a cover locking element, hereshown in the form of a metal plate 16, corresponding in shape to theshape of the seat 15 and which is ofa thickness corresponding to thedepth of said seat, so that when said locking plate is disposed in saidseat, the outer face thereof will be flush with the outer face of thecover portion 13 and will close the inner portion of the slot 7 and thusprevent the cover from sliding on the bolt 6. This reduced or thinnercover portion 13 also has an arcuate recess 17 arranged transverselythereof and which extends from a point near one side edge of the coverin ward to a point beyond the central longitudinal axis of the cover,with its concaved edge arranged toward the slot therein and is designedfor a purpose to be described.

A cover releasing plate 18 is pivotally mounted on the bolt 6 andcorresponds in shape to the thinner reduced portion 13 of the cover 5,being of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the shoulder 14so that when said plate is mounted on the reduced portion 13 of thecover, it completely fills said portion and the outer face thereof isarranged flush with the outer face of the thicker portion 13, of saidcover 5. This releasing plate has the recess 8 in its inner or lowerface near one end thereof in position to receive the threaded end of thebolt 6 when the parts \Vhen the" parts are so'disposed, the cover 5 willbe sethe nut 8, with a recess or seat 19 corresponding'in shape and sizeto the locking element 16 and is of a-depth corresponding to thethickness of said element, the'outer end of said seat extending over aportion of the recess 8 and which is designed to re ceive the lockingelement 16 when the bag is turned in one position forreleasing the coverplate, it being understood that when the locking plate 16 isdisposedinthe seat 19, of the plate 18, it will be completely housedtherein and thus moved out of the recess 15 in the cover plate, therebyuncovering the slot 7 and permitting the cover to be movedlongitudinally on the bolt 6.

A lug 20 depends from the lower or inner face of the plate 18 at a pointspaced inwardly from the oblique edge thereof and substantially on thelongitudinal axis of said plate. The lug 20 is designed to extend intosaid seat and limit the outward movement of the releasing plate 18, theinward movement thereof being limited by the engagement of its obliqueedge with the shoulder 14 of the cover 5.

In the use of this invention, when the parts are in closed lockedposition as shown ing plate 16 to drop out of the recess 15 of the cover5 into the recess 19 in the releasing the free end thereof andpermitting said' cover tobe turned laterally on the pivot 6 and thusafford access to the bag B. The thickened free end of this cover 5 soweights the cover that it will swing by gravity into open position whenthe bag is turned on one side, it operating in the vsame manner nomatter onwhich side the bag may be turned. When the bag is in openposition and it is desired to close it, the cover 5 is swung laterallyinward until the tongue 11 registers with the socket 9 on the frame 1and thensaid cover is slipped forward, causing said tongue to enter saidsocket and the socket or staple 9 and the guard 10 thereof to enter andbe housed in the recess in the end of the cover plate. The plate 18 isthen swung inward into closed position with its oblique edge abuttingthe oblique shoulder 14 of the cover and when in this position, the seat19 thereof registers with the seat 15 in said cover and the gravitylocking element 16 will then drop into the seat 15 and lock the coveragainst sliding in either direction, whereby the bag will be securelyclosed and it cannot be again opened until the above described operationis repeated. This closure is preferably housed within a cap 21 having acircumferential flange 22 which conforms in shape tothe frame land cover5 and is adapted to fit snugly thereover and completely inclcse saidparts. This cap may be secured to the frame 1 by any suitable means,buckles and straps 23 being here shown for this purpose. The outer faceof this cap 21 is preferably padded as shown at 24: to form a buffer forprotecting the contents of the container. This padded surface is alsopreferably rounded but this is not necessary, a strap 25 being hereshown attached to the outer face of this cap 21 for lifting the bag orfor suspending it from a crane or other support.

When constructed as above described, the closure for the bag will becompletely housed in the cap and unauthorized persons will thus beunable to obtain access to the bag without first understanding thecombination or procedure which is necessary for opening it. Moreover,this padded weighted cap will cause the bag always to alight on the endcarried thereby and thus assist in protecting the contents of the bagwhen roughly handled.

I claim:

1. A closure for containers comprising an oval ring-like frame withinwardly ex tending members at the opposed ends thereof to formreinforced widened portions at these points, a guard extending at rightangles from said frame at the edge of one end thereof, an invertedU-shaped member spaced laterally from the inner face of said guard andarranged in alinement therewith a pivot extending through the otherreinforced end of said frame on the same side having the guard, a coverplate having a slot at one end engaged with said pivot and a tongue atits other end with its terminal spaced inwardly from said end a distanceequal to the thickness of said guard, said tongue having recesses on itsopposite sides whereby it is interlockingly engaged with the invertedU-shaped member on the frame when the cover is in closed position, theguard extending flush with the peripheral edge of said cover andcompletely concealing the connection be tween it and the frame, andmeans for holding said cover in locked engagement with said frame.

2. In a closure for containers, tl e combination of an open ring-likeframe with inwardly extending members at opposed points to formreinforced widened portions at these points, a pivot extending throughone end of said frame; a cover plate having a slot at one end engagedwith said pivot, cooperating means at the other end of said plate andframe for interlocking engagement, said cover having a portion of itsouter face cut away and terminating in an obliquely disposed shoulderundercut for about one-half of its length, the cut-away portion of saidcover having an angular seat in its outer face with the slot in thecover extending inwardly into said seat and outwardly beyond it, alocking plate fitting in said seat and of a thickness equal to the depththereof, said cut-away cover portion having an arcuate recess extendingfrom a. point near one side ed e thereof to a point beyond the centrallongitudinal axis of said cover, the concave edge of said recess beingdisposed toward the slot, a cover releasing plate shaped to conform tothe cut-away portion of the cover and to fit flush in said portion whenapplied, said releasing plate being mounted to swing on said pivot andhaving a recess on its inner face positioned to register with theangular recess on said cover plate when the parts are in closedposition, said recesses corresponding in shape, the free edge of saidreleasing plate being inclined to fit the under-cut portion f theshoulder on said cover plate, the re cess in said releasing plate beingof a depth suflicient to receive and completely house the locking plate,and a lug extending laterally from the inner face of the releasing plateand positioned to engage the arcuate recess in the cover plate forlimiting the outward movement of the releasing plate, the pivot whichconnects the frame and plates having its head arranged on the inner faceof said frame and its other end embedded in and housed in the releasingplate to prevent unauthorized removal of said pivot.

3. The combination of an open ring-like frame, a container having oneend arranged within said frame and secured to the inner face thereof, aski 't secured to and depending from the outer face of said frame andconnected at its lower end with said container to form a chamber betweenthem, a pivot extending through one end of said frame with its headhoused and concealed in said chamber, a cover plate for .said frame,mounted to swing on said pivot, cooperating means on said frame andcover for interlocking engagement, means for locking said engaging meansin engaged position, and a cover releasing plate mounted my hand inpresence of two subscribing to swlng on said pivot With the end of theWitnesses.

pivot embedded in the inner face of said JOHN SIMA. releasing platewhereby the location of said Witnesses: pivot is completelyconcealed andits'head MIKE ZAVOINA, protected against unauthorized access. a M his Da In testimony whereof I have hereunto set OVITT' Copies of this patentmay be obtained for'five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents;

' Washington, D. G.

